In search of the Perfect Mug

What is the definition of a good and functional mug for infants/toddlers? When I was buying Aidan's first mug, I thought the most obvious answer would be that it must be non-spill. Indeed, it is. However, I have learnt, from the process of searching for the ONE mug, that there's more to that.

The first mug I bought, was the Green Pigeon on the extreme left. It is non-spill...BUT only if you fix it right. Look at the Green Pigeon and you see 4 layers, the cup, green handles, orange teat holder and the teat. Every single part has to be aligned perfectly and believe me, it is a struggle everytime. The green handles has to go right onto the groove of the cup but it doesn't click on easily so you don't really know if you got it right. Next, the teat has to go through the orange holder. There're arrows on both and they have to be aligned exactly. Then you screw on the orange part with the teat onto the first 2 parts. The worst part is after putting it all together and you realise that it's dripping (it happened alot) so you have to take them apart and do it over. It's like a science experiment. Now when you are a mom with a kid screaming for his water, you don't have a lot of time to figure things out. You just want to pour in the water, screw it shut and go.

The second mug from the left is the worst aaaaand it's called the Avent Magic cup! I don't know what magic it can perform except that it just cannot keep the water in. The water seeps out from the mouth piece and faster than you can say "Abracadabra", everywhere is wet. The worst is when you bring it out, inevitably the mug gets shaken in the diaper bag and then the water escapes and gets trapped inside the cover, which is good. But when it's time to use it, you'll need to open that cover and yes, a whole lot of water WILL spill out.

By this time, I was obsessed about finding that perfect mug. Everywhere I go, I would go look at mugs and trying to figure out which ones would be good. By now, I had some fair sense of what is just by looking at the parts.

When I got the third mug by Nuby, I thought I had found it. It's pretty attractive, that's one of the criteria when I buy things, and it's really Non-Spill! I don't know how Aidan drank from it but when I tested it, out of curiousity, I couldn't drink water from it. No water passed through the straw into my mouth. But curiously, Aidan could use it just fine. However, after some weeks of using it, we realised that the straw got really really dirty. Because it was soo spill-proof, it was very difficult to clean or even to rinse the straw and eventually dirt accumulated and it got disgusting. If you look carefully, you can see that unlike the other mugs, this straw isn't translucent. You can't see the inside and maybe it's designed this way because the makers know that it will get dirty. You can't replace the straw and when it got dirty, the whole mug gotta go. Now that doesn't make sense, does it?

The best mug and the one that we're still using now is the Tollyjoy on the right. Of all the mugs, this has to be the least 'branded' one. Parents would know that their baby stuffs are on the cheaper side compared to Pigeon or Avent. It's normal looking and a little too big for my liking. Normally, I won't be attracted to it. But I was desperate and most of the mugs in the market I had ruled out. When I came upon this, I knew instantly that it would work. It's the most simply designed and very basic. Funny how sometimes, things work best when it's back to the basics. It passed all the tests. Fairly non-spill unless Aidan bangs it hard on the table. It's fuss free to use, water comes out easily from the straw when drinking and it's easy to clean.

Thus ended the search for the perfect mug :)

Aidan's first year (video)

I have a million reasons for not blogging for so long but decided not to give any. We made this slideshow for Aidan's party but couldn't find a way to upload it on this blog. So when Daddy got his new macbook, I made him redo it on imovie and then onto youtube. That took a pretty long time if you know Daddy (read Mommy had to issue her ultimatum hehe ;P)

So here at last, is the video. Aidan's first year. Hope you enjoy it.

Aidan's first birthday

Finally had some time to write this post and upload the pictures. First birthday! Kind Aunty Lena offered to host this event at her place. The kids had a great time (I hope!) So did I, albeit it was really tiring! So thank you Aunty Lena and Uncle Ernest!

I wanted it to be more like a children's party so I invited mainly families. There were 28 adults and 14 kids!

Chilling out by the lovely baby pool with some gym matesHaving fun

Cake cutting

Family Portrait

End of event with his loot

Present opening time at home

Didn't know that a child's party on such a small scale could cost so much money! In future years, we'll have to be much more careful or we might just do away with a party altogether!

For parents planning a party soon, this cost breakdown might prove to be helpful.

Catering + Function room =$600

Mini eclairs + cream puffs + Cake= $170

Toy rental/Winnie the pooh slide= $100

14 personalized party packs for kids + some room deco = $100

Balloons = $100

Total damage = MORE THAN $1k!!!! *faints*

A Year on...

It's the week of Aidan's first birthday. I keep trying to think back on the same time last year and trying to remember how I was feeling then. I remember how very pregnant (read:fat) I was, skin on tummy was so tight that I constantly felt that I was going to burst. I also remember the little jabs that he gave from time to time. He was a good boy in the tummy and didn't gave me any painful punches at all! Either that or I was well-insulated with my fats.

Time really flies and I can't believe that my baby has grown so much. He's a baby no more but a budding toddler now. Sometimes I wish that I could just catch onto moments and hold them that way forever. (If only, I have Hiro's power to freeze time) Well, I'll just have to be satisfied with pictures.

I didn't take many pictures when I was preggers. Mainly those from the Japan trip.

This was taken the very night before my scheduled C-sect. We went for dinner at Streeters the tapas restaurant which I think is now closed.

A year on, see how much Aidan has grown. Pictures of now and then.

About 5 days old.

Pic taken in Jan 08.

Wobbly Walk

My little aidan is quite good at walking on his own now! Yay!

No threesome in bed

The downside to having your baby sleeping by himself, in his cot and in his own room is that you'll miss him terribly at night. Maybe it's because when asleep, he looks so angelic that you forget that bundle of energy that would make us exhausted in the day. Perhaps it's because you just want to share that peace and quiet with him that is never there in his waking hours. Or maybe it's because....well, who can resist those chubby and succulent thighs! hehe...

So being one of the rare mums who could get her baby to sleep on his own without fuss every night, I was surprised to find myself getting envious of mummies who have their babies in bed with them. So we couldn't help but tried to bring him to bed with us. We tried thrice. All three of us ended up not able to sleep. Aidan was confused and kept trying to sit up then fall over as he was half asleep. Used to the space he had in his cot, he would roll, turn and flip around and mostly ended on top of us. We were either too amused or too afraid of crushing him that we couldn't sleep either.

Sigh...so much for getting him to sleep on his own :)

Aidan's first sounds and now

Here's a clip of Aidan making his first sounds around 5months. I miss his first cooing very much, especially compared to the shrieking sounds he's making now.

Sorry you have to watch it upside down. Please let me know if you know a way to turn it around.




I am kinda worried.

I know it's very likely that I'm overly anxious. After all, children develop and meet milestones at their own pace. The thing is, most babies would have started making consonant sounds like "baa, maa, gaa, goo" around the age of 7 months. By 10 months, they should be uttering sounds like baba, dada indiscriminately. I'm quite positive that I've not heard Aidan producing any consonants. He still coos sometimes, making vowels sounds like "ooh" and "er" and "ah" but even then, it's not too often. When he is feeling chatting, he mostly makes "aaaaah...." and he likes changing the pitch and length. Either that or he shrieks.

I made an effort to speak alot to him from birth. Anyway, most of the time, I'm alone with him so if I don't speak to him, who do I speak to? I have conversations with him and I read too. Could it be that he isn't around people much? I don't really know if I should be concern :(

There's nothing wrong with fingers sucking

If I hear another person telling my baby to stop sucking on his fingers, I'm gonna lose it.

Babies are born with almost no control over any bodily functions. The only thing they are born with is the strongest urge to suckle, for their survival. Later on, they learn that sucking gives them extreme comfort and hence they use it to self soothe and regulate their own emotions. Isn't it amazing that at this age, they are able to find the ability to do this by themselves? It's nature. Babies start sucking their thumbs in their mothers' womb, for crying out loud.

We tried to give Aidan the pacifier but he never took to it. He prefers his fingers. I realise Aidan suckles when he feels tired and irritable, when he is in a strange environment, or when he meets someone that he feels uncomfortable with. So if he sees you and he starts sucking on his fingers, you are probably the problem. Hah!

Trying to stop a baby from using a pacifier or his fingers is like telling you not to scratch yourself when you feel the itch. It's cruel, not to mention that you are depriving the child of his basic needs. It's their coping machanism and you can't force them not to use it!

I can't stress enough on the psychological damage of any sort of deprivation. In this case, this oral fixation will surely come back in the form of something else later on. I should know, I studied child psychology.

I can tell, from observation of him and other children, that Aidan has a stronger need than most for this. When he was in my belly, he could be seen constantly moving his mouth everytime we took the scans. The first time I saw him, he was moving his mouth. That's just how he is. I am his parent and if I'm not worried, I don't see why others should. Let him grow out of it at his own pace or until I feel he's ready to be weaned please.

Aidan: a textbook baby

One of the first things I did after I learnt that I'd conceived was to get books. No, not the "what to expect when you're expecting" type of books (these info are easily available on the internet and http://www.babycenter.com/ is an excellent resource) but the babycare books.

DH and I knew all along that if we were to start a family, we'd be doing it pretty much on our own. This explains why I'm a SAHM because we have zero help and I definitely do not want to leave my baby alone with a domestic help. So I need to learn how to care for a newborn and how to raise a baby in less than 10 months!

Hence, the term textbook baby. We didn't even hire a confinement nanny. It's just DH, me and the textbooks, no kidding. Of course, it's somewhat like sitting for a practical exam by studying the theory, so you can imagine how inadequate we felt. Aidan, when he was a newborn was as predictable as Melbourne's weather (they say you can experience up to 4 seasons in a single day). So alot of the times, we were frantically flipping through the pages and found no answer. However good these books are, they won't cover every single aspect. Before Aidan came, I was pretty confident and thought I was well-prepared but with every few baby steps I took, I met with an obstacle. (ok I digressed)

The book I found to be the most helpful was Tracy Hogg's "Secrets of The Baby Whisperer". I followed many of her advice/routine plus a few of my own baby mantras (to be elaborated) and so far, I find Aidan to be pretty well-trained in several aspects.

1) He'd managed to sleep and wake up at the right feeding times. So he'd never stayed awake all night.

2) By the 6th month, he could sleep throught the night for 8-9hours a stretch.

3) When he was breastfed, I didn't have to latch him on for comfort sucking because I didn't feed him on demand. That left me some spare time.

4) His meal times are pretty standard and I don't have to guess if he's crying because he is hungry.

5) He always sleeps in his cot, in his own room.

6) He has no problems falling asleep on his own. He doesn't need to be rocked or held to be able to sleep.

7) He doesn't need me to be around all the time. He is quite comfortable playing or entertaining himself. I don't have to bring him with me on my toilet breaks!

8) He could sit in the stroller when we go out and never needed me to carry him.

If you've heard stories from mummies of a newborn, you'll know that they would be so envious. And yes, if you ask me, I think we did a fairly decent job :)

I think it also helps when it's only the two of us. He doesn't have eager grandparents around to spoil him or pick him up the moment he cries. But sometimes I feel sorry for Aidan especially when I brought him for his jabs and I saw that other babies have their set of parents and grandparents to accompany them while Aidan only has poor ole me.

Bath time. Then and Now.

THEN:

NOW:

My, they grow up so fast. Too fast.

Aidan's daddy is still doing his daily baths :) I couldn't do it at first due to my c-sect and it became their routine. Great for father and son bonding. He's a great dad. I didn't have to bathe Aidan till when he was about 4 months when daddy went for his first overseas work trip. Elaine's mum said I'm very *xin fu*. Hehe...yes indeed I am.

*xin fu*= blessed.

Baby Jaccuzi

Took Aidan for Hydrotherapy today. This is supposed to be good for building of confidence in water and of course like all exercise, good for stimulating coordination and fitness. Babies are born-swimmers, having spent 9 months in their mothers' womb. Not sure if it's true but it's been said that if you throw a newborn into a pool, the baby will be able to float. However, Aidan is already 8 months and hence it's kinda late to introduce him to swimming. He has already developed a phobia of water as you'll see from his face. The lady told me the smaller babies take to the water very fast and will quickly kick their legs and move about.

Aidan was very tensed at first, looked scared and fussed a little. Had to bribed him with some biscuits. Then he started to feel curious and relaxed a little. He did moved round a little and kicked a little. But not for long, as he decided after about 20 mins that he had enough and began to cry haha.

Er...what are you doing to me?

Shaking my bon bon!

Smiling, at last!

Getting bored

ENOUGH!

I intend to go back. I think I probably enjoyed myself more than he did haha... It's very safe and clean because you don't share the pool with other babies. The water is warm too. They also have baby massage which I am thinking of trying too. See their website here: www.babyswimming.com.sg

Tug-O-War

This is what we do on a daily basis. He's so strong and determined to get his way that I have to grab his body to stop him. I can't put him on my bed anymore. I wonder what's the fascination with edges that he'll instantly pull himself there and try to leap off. So we tug. It doesn't look like it required any effort on my part but the fact is I often have to struggle to hold him in place.

Trials of breastfeeding

Although I stopped breastfeeding Aidan at around 6 months, I want to blog about it to serve as a reminder to the intial utter horrific but later most fulfilling experience.

Most women tend to fret about labour pain but my major concern had always been pain from breastfeeding. Elaine would tell you that this had been my fear since many many years ago. Out of shyness. I shall not disclose the reason for this fear. I'd suspected, that this was going to be an extremely painful process for me. Indeed it was, and more painful than I could ever imagine.

It's really amazing how a tiny baby could so instinctively and efficiently chomp chomp right away while being totally oblivious to your pain. By the end of the first day, the staff nurse was shocked at the extent of my sore nipples. She couldn't figure out why it was this bad as Aidan was latching on well and you're not supposed to get very sore if the baby is properly latched on.

On the second day, he drew blood. I didn't know till I saw blood spots on his tiny baby vest and around his tiny mouth. I was advised to air my nipples, might as well as I couldn't bear to put on my bra anyway. It was too painful. Any contact was painful, so I went shirtless as well. The staff nurse commented that most people by then, would have given up. Thinking back, I had no idea how I endured it all.

My breasts were swollen and nipples were the size of my thumb. It never stopped feeling tender, sore and painful. For two weeks, I was walking around the house topless. It's not a pretty sight, I looked and felt mutilated especially since I was also recovering from C-sect. This is really bad because during confinement, we're supposed to keep very warm and not get exposed to any wind. Hence, during the first month, I caught the chill, shivered non stop for 5 hours and had high fever twice. I don't think my body has recovered since. I still get aches and 'wind' in my body.

There was never a problem with latching on. Aidan was a natural at it and could not have enough. This was made a lot worse by my milk not coming in till the end of the first week. I felt really stressed out and so useless. By then he was already drinking 90ml. After that, my milk came in slowly and I could never keep up with his pace. As such, we had to supplement him with formula. This was a really long and tedious process. With many books written about nipple confusion, we had used a cup for fear that he wouldn't reject my slow flowing nipple. So each feed took about 1.5hours and in another 1.5 hours, we would start the whole process all over. Muliply that by 7 times a day. It was the longest 2 weeks of my life. (we finally gave him the bottle around 2 weeks) There was no day and night. Weekends meant nothing. You don't see any way out or an end to the cycle. I had at most 4 hours of fragmented sleep a day for the first week. By the end of the first month, my total fragmented sleep was, at best, 6 hours a day.

Somehow, by the end of the second week, my nipples were toughened up. It gradually became less painful and sore and eventually, it even began to look normal. However, I think I truly got the hang of breastfeeding only after the 6th week and slowly I began to enjoy the process.

I don't know how to describe the feeling. It must be the most amazing and awesome feeling that you're giving this little helpless being, food made from your body. You're nourishing this tiny being and giving him the best nourishment possible. You're making and seeing him grow stronger everyday by drinking the best that you can possibly give him that is breastmilk. Seeing him suckle happily and filling his little tummy gave me the greatest sense of achievement. All the pain had been worthwhile.

I felt sad when I made the decision to stop breastfeeding. It's like everything that I had endured for, came to an end. What a waste. I still miss being pregnant very much. A baby was inside of me, it was a part of me. With the end of breastfeeding, it's like the final intimate connection with my little precious one was broken forever.

Aidan at birth

Have I mentioned that I have lots to catch up on? Here are 2 vids of Aidan at birth.
Please pardon the anxious daddy's shaky hands and out of focus shots LOL.

Warning: Blood and gore, not for the faint-hearted.

Crawling or dry swimming?

At 6.5 months, he can't really crawl yet. But he sure can make a dash for something he wants to get hold of!

Here's another showing off his new found mobility

Baby Gap

We always dress Aidan up in baby rompers and one-piece body suit. I do buy him nice polos and pants but for when he is older. In fact, I have a whole drawer full of clothes for when he is older than 12 months. (Hehe...what to do? I'm a shopaholic :P) As for now he's hardly out of his stroller when we're out anyway, so what's the point of dressing him up right? However, I have noticed many babies, younger than Aidan, very well-dressed in shirts or long pants. So when I looked at Aidan in his little romper, chubby thighs and legs all exposed, I felt mildly embarrased for him.

So recently, at the Gap sale, I bought a pair of pants that he can wear now and not later. The top was from Gap.com, where I often shop at. He looked nice! :) Someone I met when I was shopping with Aidan said he ought to be in a commercial. I agree :P


Another dressed-up picture of him in the top I got from M&S and jeans, a gift from his daddy's ex-boss.

Gorgeous Aidan

Just found these gorgeous pictures of Aidan in the camera today that I'd forgotten. He changes all the time and these are when he's about 4.5months. Now that gravity is finally doing it's work, I miss his previous spikey hairstyle very much. Does he look pan-asian to you? hehehe...

Doesn't this picture reminds you of a certain Edison Chen? ;P

Little girls have it better

I'm sure all women will agree with me when I say that menswear is boring. *yawn*. So you can imagine that it is no different when it comes to boyswear. *YAWN*. Girlswear, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. In fact, I like little girls' clothing more than womenswear. When I go shopping for Aidan, I'll inevitably end up browsing the girl's department. Being the shopaholic that I am, I'm proud to say that I've been able to resist every temptation to buy something from the girl's department. Till now, that is.

Was at Marks n Spencer last week and they were on sale. As usual, was looking for something to buy for Aidan but ended up staring at the girl's clothes on sale for over an hour! They were just simply beautiful. Very Laura Ashley and country-ish, which is what I love. At first, I tried to resist buying but I kept going in and out of the store. Then I thought ok, let me just buy ONE. So, I spent a long time debating which one hehe.....finally I decided that I just have to get this because it's sooo sweeet and in the loveliest shade of pink and green.


And at the back, there's printed florals motif. See what I mean? How could I have resisted right?


Then, I continued to look some more and saw this matching pants =( So of course, I got weak and bought it too.


I know, I know! I am nuts. And now I am still thinking of the set I liked too that is sage green with tiny floral prints with soft cotton denim jeans combo. Hmmm....if only I have a girl or know for sure I will have a girl next. Sigh.

Ok...I did buy something for Aidan in the end. It's nice but still never as nice. Well, you know what I mean.

Simply Aidan

Aidan's hair has grown quite long. We have never cut his hair because not many babies has as much hair as him and certainly even fewer with hair standing up. I'll admit that I feel kinda proud when I bring him out and people starts smiling and going gaa gaa over his head full of hair heehee. Recently his hair has finally started to lay down so I clipped it up to prevent his fringe from bothering his eyes hehe....Does he look like a girl girl now? ;P



Managed to catch a picture of him sitting and staying in this position by himself for the first time before he toppled over. He still needs to prop himself up with his hands.

Toys and such

Having a little one really doesn't come cheap. Aidan has just turned 6 months and is at a new stage of development. Being the doting parents that we are, look at what we got for him. All bought over the last 2 weeks, taking advantage of the John Little Storewide sale and Isetan Private Sale. Lots of toys to hone his motor skills.

When I saw these, I knew I had to get it. Dr. Seuss needs no introduction and when it comes in DVDs with storytelling and narration, I just couldn't pass it up.

His infant car seat was meant to be used till he turns 1. But being as long/tall as he is (in the 90th percentile) meant that he is outgrowing it too soon. So we got this at IPS at around 30% off RPP.

Our friend highly recommended this as a playmat for children. Made in Korea, it is supposedly made of heavy duty, non-slip, non-toxic PVC material. I saw cheaper ones being sold at Mini Toons, but I wasn't sure of the quality. Got this online from www.smallsmallworld.com . It also retails at Mother Works but for a great deal more expensive. ( I notice MW marks up their prices) The material aside, I like that it comes in a bag which makes it very portable. Now finally I can leave Aidan to play on the floor and not worry about him falling off the bed.

So I think we have spent at least $800 on all these so far. We are not done! There're still a couple of things we have in mind to get. We're thinking of the LeapFrog Little Touch LeapPad and the books. Fortunately, we have a friend that is going to loan us her DD's activity table and exersaucer or we would have more things on our list. I certainly hope the money's well spent.